When
I was a Marine infantryman in Vietnam, support meant a lot to me and my
fellow grunts, but it didn't mean what most people thought. We wanted to
come home alive. When we got wounded or sick, we
wanted good medical help. We wanted rations that we could trade with the
Vietnamese for real food.

We saw
war protesters as allies, certain to save lives and bring us home sooner
if they succeeded. Those who advocated winning at any cost would only
get more of us killed.

The
worst kind of support came from those who voted for the war and against
adequate medical care, rehabilitation and education for veterans. While
patriotic talk is cheap, veterans prefer to survive and enjoy the
tangible benefits they earned.

We
didn't join the Marines for love of country. We joined to get out of the
house, out of the city, off the farm, into a job, and because we were 18
and believed we were indestructible. Let's start treating our soldiers
not as icons but as real people.